1. Both before and after he became King, George IV was renowned for his reckless spending and dissolute lifestyle.
2. On reaching the age of 21, he received an annual income from his father and parliament in excess of £100,000, worth about £10million today.
3. Despite this, his lavish lifestyle resulted in growing debts which amounted to some £600,000 (£60million in today’s money) when he was 33.
4. In 1795 he married Caroline of Brunswick whom he had never met in order to get a larger grant.
5. George hated his wife and banned her from attending his coronation.
6. He had earlier undergone a marriage ceremony with his mistress Maria Fitzherbert but that was ruled illegal as she was Catholic and he had not obtained the consent of his father George III.
7. George wrote a will leaving one shilling to Caroline and the rest to Maria Fitzherbert.
8. He had at least five other mistresses and probably fathered several illegitimate children.
9. His only legitimate child died before him, so he was succeeded by his younger brother, William IV.
10. Attractive when young, he grew hugely obese weighing 24 stone (152kg) with a 55-inch waist.